The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Distylium plant, botanically known as Distylium sp. hybrid, a member of the Hamamelidaceae, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘PIIDIST-III’. ‘PIIDIST-III’ is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.
‘PIIDIST-III’ originated in 2008 as an open-pollinated seedling from bulk seed collected from several unnamed and unpatented selections of Distylium sp. hybrids as part of a breeding program in Watkinsville, Ga. Due to the bulk seed collection, the exact parents are unknown. ‘PIIDIST-III’ originated and was selected by the inventor in a cultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga. from the progeny of this open-pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit and foliage characteristics.
Asexual reproduction of ‘PIIDIST-III’ by stem cuttings in Watkinsville, Ga. since 2010 has shown that all the unique features of ‘PIIDIST-III’, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.